The United States today asked North Korea to look at Iran's example, saying it was willing to negotiate with a hostile nation when it is "serious" about its promises.
Amid high tensions between North Korea and its neighbours, Deputy Secretary of State William Burns said that the United States remained firmly opposed to North Korea's nuclear weapons program but was open to diplomacy.
"We have consistently said we are willing to engage when countries show a credible and serious interest in abiding by their obligations. This was true in Burma, it's the case with Iran, and it can be the case with North Korea as well," Burns said at the Asia Society in New York.
But echoing other US officials, Burns said that the United States will not "buy the same horse twice."
"We are not going to talk for the sake of talks or respond to North Korean provocations with inducements and concessions," he said.
